1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an adapter suitable for affixing wheel covers and wheel trim to the wheels of a vehicle, and more specifically to an adapter that can be installed without removing or loosening pre-installed lug nuts and without the use of tools.
2. General Background of the Invention
The instant invention provides an adapter and method for affixing a wheel cover or wheel trim (collectively referred to as “wheel trim”) to the wheel of a vehicle.
Various apparatuses have been developed for the connection of a wheel trim to the wheel of the vehicle including adapters that require the removal of one or more lug nuts of the vehicle and adapters that can be installed without the removal of a vehicle's lug nuts. Known apparatuses of this latter category fall generally into one of three types. The apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,485,107, which is incorporated herein by reference, exemplifies the first of these types. This patent discloses an adapter is screwed onto a portion of a vehicle's wheel stud that extend beyond the vehicle's lug nut. Tools must be used to affix such an adapter and such an adapter runs the risk of coming loose if an insufficient amount of threads extend beyond the vehicle's lug nuts.
The second type of known apparatuses depends on a frictional connection between the adapter and the outer periphery of the vehicle's lug nuts. One example of this type is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,465, which is incorporated herein by reference. This patent discloses an adapter that can be clamped around the lug nut using one or more screws to clamp the lug nut to the exterior of the lug nut of a vehicle or the use one of more set screws to engage the adapter to the exterior of a lug nut of the vehicle. Such adapters are prone to failure due to loosening of the screws creating the frictional fit that can occur due to improper installation and/or the vibration and motion of the vehicle. Another example of such a frictional fit device is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,465, which is incorporated herein by reference. This patent discloses the use of a sleeve that is pressed onto the lug nut of the vehicle, depending on friction between the sleeve and the lug nut to hold the adapter in place. Such adapters are prone to failure due resulting from an inexact fit between the sleeve and the lug nut and through the stress relaxation of the sleeve material over time.
The third type, exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,059,684 and 7,677,677, which are incorporated herein by reference, clamp around one or more lug nuts of a vehicle using a mechanical fastening means such as screws or spring clips. Such adapters frequently consist of multiple parts that must be assembled correctly, frequently require tools to install, and are prone to failure due to improper assembly or installation.
What is needed then is a wheel trim adapter that permits the installation of the adapter to a vehicle without the use of tools regardless of the type of lug nut utilized, regardless of whether a portion of the vehicle's threaded wheel studs extend past the vehicle's lug nuts, and regardless of whether the vehicle's wheels are affixed to the vehicle using lug bolts.